Newport supermarket to open Oriental street food concession

Supermarket giants Asda are soon set to welcome a Panku Streetfood concession to its flagship store on Lower Dock Street, in Pill.

Currently, a small section of the store, near the back, is closed off, while work is ongoing to get the new concept up and running.

It is not known when the street food section will be opened to the public, with the hoardings suggesting that it is “coming soon”.

Coming soon signs inside Asda in Pill

However, it is known what can be expected for customers – as, following a successful trial run in which Panko concessions were opened up in 20 supermarkets, it is being rolled out more widely.

Once up and running, it will be just the fifth street food concession in Wales – with three in Asda stores in Cardiff, and another found at Asda Llandudno.

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What can customers expect?

Last year, Asda announced it was looking to launch new food-to-go counters, to replace traditional counters such as the fresh pizza counter, and the fishmongers.

As part of this, the chain partnered with Panko, which is owned by Taiko Foods – part of the Yo Sushi group.

The food on offer will be a mixture of Japanese, Thai, and Korean meals, snacks, sushi, and desserts – with plenty of plant based options on the menu for vegetarian and vegan customers.

According to their website, katsu inspired items, noodle based dishes, and various curries can be expected.

An extensive sushi menu is also expected.

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What has been said about the launch?

Speaking when the partnership between Asda and Panko was first announced, Richard Dent, vice president for Fresh at Asda, said: “As well as ensuring we’ve got great prices for our customers and make their shopping experience with us as easy as possible, we’re also investing in growing areas of our business that we know customers are really passionate about.

“In areas such as ‘Food to Go’, we want to make sure we’re offering our customers a great combination of groceries and ready to eat options.

“Panku is a great fit – it’s an innovative brand offering great value and quality food, with a bit of personality. We’re really excited to be working with them.”

It is the latest in a line of commercial partnerships between Asda and other brands.

This includes Just Eat, Greggs, and McDonald’s – who have opened a number of restaurants inside supermarkets across the UK.